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“You have to be your own driving force”, says cellist Peter Schmidt, when describing the biggest difference between being an artist and other jobs. Read in our interview why he advocates a positive perspective on the discussion on arts funding, opposing the often dominating pessimistic tone.

You published a blog article on cuts in public arts funding. What motivates you to engage in this discourse?

As musicians, we constantly feel threatened by financial discussions in the political sphere. Cultural institutions are the first to suffer cut-backs in difficult times. And when are times not difficult? In light of this, we tend to assume a position of resignation and cultural pessimism.

I think, it is important to break out of this negative cycle and ask ourselves how something that we value so highly (the cultural good) can be seen as a luxury item or simply a useless expenditure by many people. Once you start asking yourself why this is, you will find many obvious answers and also many imaginative ways to do something about it, that each musician or artist can immediately be a part of (as many great examples show).

And psychologically speaking, perceiving yourself as being part of a solution is much more gratifying than perceiving yourself as part of a problem.

What do you expect – or hope – a concert of classical music will look like for the next generation of musicians and audiences?

Fortunately, I don’t know. Every concert will be different, many will be (intentionally or unintentionally) unpredictable, just as audiences are unpredictable and masterworks are unique. It is a great misunderstanding of our time that great music requires a neutral, standardized setting.

What would you be doing today if you had not chosen to become a professional artist?

I would certainly be doing something utterly “useless”, like scientific research in some arcane field that has no relation to real lives of people. Things that have fascinated me in the past have generally been of little practical use.

For you personally, what are disadvantages of being an artist?

The main disadvantage is simultaneously the main advantage and even the main difference to other life-styles or professions: You have to be your own driving force. What you do always has to be an inner necessity for you. It defeats the purpose to do something primarily for the sake of money, deadlines or expectations. Of course, no human being is a pure artist, so every artist is (at least) periodically failing. This means, finding one’s own path, place and raison d’être is challenging (to say the least).

In the coming weeks, I have duo concerts in Spain with the pianist Katia Michel. We are looking forward to the upcoming release of a CD with works by Pau Casals for cello and piano in the summer. Also, I will be playing the Shostakovich cello concerto No. 2 with the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen on June 27th in Düsseldorf as part of my Konzertexamen.

We invite you to discover our new feature section. Here, we will regularly present exceptional artists. Across art forms, genres and borders. Without restrictions or limitations. It is a place for a closer look, for personal stories or controversial viewpoints. Unrehearsed and certainly not reduced to a few hundred characters. Enter and enjoy.

In the first feature of this series, it is our pleasure to introduce the Ingolfsson-­Stoupel Duo. Two strong individuals meet in this ensemble at eye level – and create music shaped by a special intimacy, subtle communi­cation and a complete interconnectedness of two voices. In our interview, violinist Judith Ingolfsson and pianist Vladimir Stoupel talk about their affinity to 20th century composers, a festival that is very close to their hearts and the art of balancing an international career and being parents.

Meet the Ingolfsson-Stoupel Duo
and other great artists
from around the world.

We have been busy behind closed doors for quite a while. Today, it is time to lift the curtain: We are excited to introduce our redesigned homepage, the all new feature section and a plethora of updates and improvements.

Growing up is constant change. Sometimes in little steps, sometimes in bigger leaps, sometimes in a general overhaul. We are dedicated to develop and improve artoporta constantly – together with our friends, partners, members and supporters – to make it the ideal environment we envision.

A professional and respectful environment for everyone, a place to connect and get in touch, to start collaborations and inspire each other, to find jobs, colleagues, allies, benefactors, misfits and geniuses. The possibilities are as endless as the potential benefits to each and every user. And so, we are looking forward very much to all the future changes to come.